Plasma coatings are used for modifying surface characteristics of a material to control surface energy of the material for promoting bonding, creating lubricity, providing corrosion protection, and/or improving scratch resistance.
Plasma coatings such as those formed through atmospheric pressure air plasma (APAP) may be applied through an in-line process with higher deposition rates and at appreciably shorter cycle times. Since APAP coatings are deposited in an air atmosphere, the type and/or the chemistry of monomers that are suitable for use in an APAP coating process may be limited.
Moreover, uncontrolled over-spray associated with plasma coating processes may be problematic for many coating applications. Often generated through a penumbra of APAP plasma, an over-spray of an air plasma may affect coating homogeneity in an undesirable fashion. For example, an uncontrolled over-spray may induce random formation of multiple coating layers with uncontrolled chemical content and hence an undesirable heterogeneous composition.